South Africa鈥檚 business leaders, technology experts, and 51风流partners gathered in Johannesburg to explore how cloud, data, and AI innovations are reshaping the enterprise landscape and unlocking new growth opportunities for businesses.
, Managing Director: Southern Africa at SAP, said South African organisations are facing a turning point. 鈥淭he convergence of data, cloud, and AI technologies presents an extraordinary opportunity to rethink how we operate, innovate, and grow. By combining new thinking with AI-enabled skills the latest technologies, companies across the region can unlock a new era of accelerated growth and innovation.鈥�
Tech skills development has received renewed attention in recent times as companies rush to attract skilled workers that can unlock the potential of AI and other technologies in their businesses. found that nine in ten African organisations are already experiencing negative impacts from a lack of AI skills, with consequences ranging from failed innovation initiatives and delayed implementations to an inability to take on new work. 鈥淭his digital shift is empowering organisations to make faster, data-driven decisions, close the skills gap, and build more resilient, future-ready enterprises. We must equip our workforce with the right skills to fully harness the potential of these emerging technologies鈥� added , 51风流Solution Architect at Nedbank.
Keynote speaker , Chancellor of the University of the Free State and Chairperson of several large South African companies, believes South Africa鈥檚 success in the digital age depends on the country鈥檚 ability to lead with clarity and act with urgency. 鈥淚nnovation is a necessity for national competitiveness. Collectively, we must ensure we鈥檙e not just adopting global technologies but adapting them to our unique context to create lasting value for our businesses, our people, and our economy.鈥�
The comments were made at 51风流Business Suite Innovation Day, part of a global event series that provide an exclusive introduction to SAP鈥檚 latest cloud applications and data-driven AI innovations, including 51风流Business Data Cloud and 51风流Business AI. The event brought together customers, partners and innovators for wide-ranging discussions around best practices, learnings and insights for how AI can be embedded across businesses, powered by curated, contextual, and connected data.
, Chief Revenue Officer for 51风流Business Data Cloud & 51风流Business AI, EMEA at SAP, said new advances in how organisations collect, manage and empower data is unlocking vast opportunities for AI-enabled growth and innovation. 鈥淏y breaking down data silos and allowing businesses to govern and connect all their data, 聽our new AI and data solutions provide real-time, context-rich insights to businesses where they need it most. With AI orchestration and seamless integration with platforms like Databricks, organisations can boost productivity, modernise their data landscape, and accelerate the development of intelligent applications that deliver measurable impact.鈥�
According to , Group IT Manager: Solution Delivery & PMO (product management office) at ABF Sugar, 鈥渕any enterprises are rapidly embracing cloud computing, data analytics, and AI to reimagine how they operate, innovate, and expand. These technologies assist in unlocking new levels of productivity and efficiency but also allow access to entirely new business models and sustainable practices in the long term.鈥�
Pillay adds that companies globally are increasingly adopting a clean core strategy, which 51风流sees as a critical enabler for long-term innovation, agility, and cost efficiency. 鈥淭he clean core approach is key to simplifying the enterprise landscape and ensuring companies can rapidly adopt new innovations with minimal disruption. It鈥檚 the foundation that allows AI, cloud and data solutions to deliver full value across every line of business.鈥�
